As debates continue over what to do with the Vida Shaw Bridge, a federal preservation law has brought the issue back to the starting line.

The one-lane, swing-span bridge over the Bayou Teche on Vida Shaw Road, said to be the “oldest swing-span bridge in Louisiana,” was slated for removal by the state Department of Transportation and Development as part of a bridge replacement program. The project was halted when its historic value came into question and has since been deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.

Now, in accordance with the National Historic Preservation Act, the Federal Highway Administration, DOTD and the parish must obtain more public input and look at “prudent and feasible” alternatives to tearing the bridge down.

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Iberia Parish Consulting Engineer Wayne Labiche said the alternatives he found thus far include:

• Rehabilitate the existing structure for foot traffic, and use the bascule bridge at another location near the Vida Shaw bridge.

• Fully refurbish the bridge, allowing it to be used for light vehicle traffic.

• Implement the original plan of replacing the bridge with a bascule bridge and move the Vida Shaw Bridge to the parish barn until the bridge can be moved to a lake at a local park or used in another “creative” way.

• Having no bridge over Bayou Teche at the Vida Shaw Bridge site.

There was a public hearing on the bridge Wednesday night, where representatives from DOTD, the Historic Bridge Foundation and the FHA were there and people spoke out on both sides of the issue.

“The purpose of the project is a transportation link across Bayou Teche,” Labiche said. “That’s as simple as I can put it.”

Replacing bridge

Some farmers and area residents said they want the bridge replaced because it will provide an easier crossing for tractors carrying sugar cane from the Loreauville area to Cajun Co-op on Northside Road.

Sugar cane farmer Ricky Judice said Louisiana 86 is a high-speed highway, which makes it difficult and dangerous to carry farm equipment from the cane fields to the mill.

Vida Shaw Bridge has a 5-ton weight limit, so heavy farm vehicles and school buses cannot cross.

“A modern, two-lane bridge would let us get to Northside Road,” Judice said, adding that 14 members of the Loreauville Volunteer Fire Department signed a letter supporting bridge replacement because it will provide another crossing in emergency situations.

“The main thrust of Loreauville is our kids and our farming,” said Gwen LeBlanc. “As for it (the bridge) being historic, I don’t see it benefitting Loreauville as a historic site. People wouldn’t be coming to look at the mechanism.”

Sugar cane farmers Joe Judice and Todd Landry said they want to save the bridge, but they would like to see it moved elsewhere. Judice said some farmers have offered to put up money to have it moved to another spot.

“I don’t think anyone here is against saving the bridge,” said Landry. “Bring it somewhere else.”

One of the supporters of replacing the bridge said they have more than 300 signatures from a petition to replace the bridge.

“Our community needs to grow,” said Kathy Viator. “The community needs to use the bridge. Give us our progress.”

Saving bridge

Proponents of saving the Vida Shaw Bridge argue that the bridge is a unique asset to the area and want to see it refurbished in its current location.

Kitty Henderson with the Historic Bridge Foundation in Austin, Texas, got involved in the effort to save the bridge after residents contacted her about a grass roots movement.

“This has been deemed a historic structure,” Henderson said. “You have an opportunity to enhance the community and rehabilitate the bridge.”

As part of the bridge replacement process, the state was required to determine if the bridge had historical value before taking bids on the project. The state decided that the bridge had no historic value, but was later “trumped” by the Keeper of the National Register for Historic Preservation, which deemed it eligible for historic preservation.

The bridge was also named as one of the Ten Most Endangered Historic Sites by the Louisiana Trust for 2007-2008.

“Every bridge tells a story, and that bridge tells the story of the sugar cane industry and farmers in Iberia Parish,” said Henderson. “When something in your heritage is torn down, you can’t ever build it back up.”

Henderson said she can see the bridge, coupled with the old Vida Shaw Mill, becoming a historical site that people travel to, and likened it to an attraction like Shadows-on-the-Teche that draws numerous tourists each year.

Residents at the meeting told stories of jumping off the bridge to swim in the bayou as children, and said the bridge holds sentimental value.

“The Vida bridge is unique to our history and culture,” said Mac Clary. “If we didn’t have a bridge 1.7 miles upstream or two miles downstream, I would understand. We want a working landmark.”

One resident said if the bridge were replaced and allowed larger vehicles to pass, that would present a safety issue because the road following the bridge is narrow and contains a sharp “S” curve.

The effort to save the bridge has been endorsed by various local entities including the Iberia Parish Tourism Commission, Main Street Mayor Paul Schwing, McIlhenny President Paul McIlhenny and the Bayou Teche Museum. Henderson said the local petition to save the bridge has more than 1,000 signatures.

“People I talk to think the bridge is fascinating,” said Chris Burton. “If we rehabilitate the bridge, it can bring a lot to the state.”

Funding the project

When the Vida Shaw Bridge was included in the bridge replacement program years ago, it would have been replaced at no cost to the parish, Labiche said.

 Because the project has been delayed, Labiche said the state is now willing to pay up to $4.2 million to replace the bridge. The parish will be responsible for  costs above that.

But the program, named the Highway Bridge Program, also includes the “rehabilitation of deficient bridges,” which is why Henderson said there should be funding available for refurbishing the bridge.

Labiche said he was told by DOTD that the state will not contribute any money to refurbishing the bridge, which he estimates would cost about $2 million.

“I’ve been told that the program has funded minimal rehabilitation on bridges through the state, but never a full rehabilitation,” Labiche said.

“They’ve told me Vida Shaw will not be eligible. I’m curious to understand, if the name of the program is rehabilitation and replacement, who defines what’s a small rehabilitation and a big rehabilitation. Why couldn’t the whole rehabilitation be a part of the program?”

Henderson said she believes there is federal funding available to rehabilitate the bridge, and though her organization is not a “granting agency,” she is willing to assist the parish in finding money to save the bridge.

“The program makes funding adaptable, so funds shouldn’t guide the decision,” he said.